OSMOND — Julie Slagle, who has been the teacher at Immanuel Preschool here since 2005, will be retiring this year after 21 years of service.
Julie, the daughter of Merlyn and Nyla Kuhl, is a 1989 graduate of Osmond High School. She went on to graduate from Wayne State College in 1993 with a bachelor of science in early childhood education. Following graduation from WSC, she worked at Rainbow World daycare in Wayne, Humpty Dumpty daycare in Wakefield and then moved to Lincoln and worked at Lollipop Farm daycare.
In 1995, Julie married Mike Slagle, whom she had met while in college, and their daughter Erica was born in 1998. After the family moved to Fre- mont, she stayed home with Erica for two years before starting an intergenerational daycare at a nursing home for their employees. The Slagles moved back to Osmond in 2003.
Julie describes how she became involved with Immanuel Preschool: “My journey at Immanuel Lutheran Preschool began one Sunday morning after a regular Sunday church service. Pastor [Gary] Trowbridge. . . had heard that I could teach preschool and he wondered if I’d be interested in teaching here at Immanuel. I told him I would think about it.
“Later that week, school board member Mark Koehler asked if I had decided about taking over the preschool teacher position. He told me it would really help him out and take a big worry off his shoulders. I told him I would be happy to help him and accept the position. He thanked me and told me I was doing him a very big favor. Little did I know that it was actually Pastor and Mark who were doing me the favor! They both had the faith in me to take on this important role.”
One month later, Julie was starting her first year of teaching at Immanuel, with 10 4-year-olds.
Since she started at Immanuel, Julie said that many changes have taken place. At that time, preschool was only offered to 4-year-olds on two mornings a week. The next school year, 2006-07, she offered 4-year-old preschool on Monday-Wednesday-Friday and a 3-year-old preschool on Tuesday-Thursday.
That year, both classes were held in both the mornings and afternoons because there were so many children interested. There were 10 students on Monday-Wednesday-Friday mornings and 11 others in the afternoon, plus six students on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with seven others on those afternoons.
Another change that Julie recalled was that she started teaching in the old brick schoolhouse that was originally built in 1949. That building was torn down in 2007 after the new wing on the church, which now houses the preschool, was built. She remembers when the addition was being built, watching out the windows with her students as the men worked on the roof and waved and talked to the students in their upstairs classroom.
Julie moved everything to the new room in February 2007, and says the students loved their new classroom. She added that, “Practicing for Sunday morning performances and special programs was so much easier without the long walks across the parking lot, especially in the winter snow!”
At some point, she said, the hours were changed to start at 8 a.m., and in 2015, the all-day 4-year-old program was introduced. The children bring their lunch every day and eat it in their room.
Julie noted, “In my 21 years of teaching at Immanuel Lutheran Preschool, I have taught 47 different classes, 221 SLAGLE RETIRING AS IMMANUEL TEACHER
different students, and had the pleasure of teaching many of those children two years, and some even three years!
“So many smiles, a few tears, and many Lego towers, tea parties and marching band parades pretending we were just like the big kids!
“And so many Jesus lessons taught over the years. It was so heartwarming to teach each of those young children all about the love of Jesus and other stories from the Bible. It made my heart melt when they would ask if it was Jesus Time yet, because that was their favorite time. They truly enjoyed listening as we shared the Word of God together.
“I have loved every minute of it and will miss it very much. No two kids were the same (even with the sets of twins I had) and no two days were the same - I never knew what to expect! It was exciting every day!" Julie’s family includes husband Mike, and daughter and son-in-law Erica and Keaton Gracey of Minden.
She also became a grandma in December 2025 to Gable Michael Gracey, with whom she hopes to spend plenty of time after her retirement.
The church is hosting an open house for Mrs. Slagle on Sunday, May 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. with all welcome to attend.
